[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] 3.3 hold targeter usage

[Bill Erickson]

Hi Josh,

Another benefit of soft retargeting is that it updates the hold copy maps
for all holds within the soft retarget interval, regardless of whether a
new target is needed.  This allows you to more frequently add newly
cataloged items to the hold copy maps, making them available for
opportunistic capture.

As for the timing, the more often you run in soft-retarget mode the better,
generally speaking, but it does cause load and there will be a point of
diminishing returns.

We're currently running the hold targeter once a day at midnight
with --retarget-interval "40h" --soft-retarget-interval "16h".  In essence,
each hold targets a copy for 2 days, but each hold is "refreshed" daily.
This seems to work pretty well for us.

-b





On Thu, Mar 5, 2020 at 4:44 PM Josh Stompro <stomproj at gsuite.larl.org>
wrote:

> Hello, I'm trying to understand the new options that come with the new
> hold targeter, and I'm wondering how others are using it.  Is anyone using
> the --soft-retarget-interval right now?
>
> I'm considering using something along the lines of
> hold_targeter.pl --soft-retarget-interval="4 hours"
> --retarget-interval="8 days"
> running every hour.
>
> But I'm worried that this will cause all holds to be checked every hour
> after it has been 4 hours since the last retarget.  Maybe a soft-retarget
> once a day is enough?
>
> What I'm trying to achieve is to avoid the targeting churn where if a hold
> isn't filled immediately, it bounces back and forth between the two most
> appropriate items every retarget interval.
>
> We have a bunch of locations that are only open a couple days a week, so
> every once in a while an item never shows up on their pull list because it
> is always bouncing between two target copies at locations that are only
> open on the day that the item doesn't get targeted.
>
> But I also want to make sure that if the current item is no longer
> available, the hold gets re-targeted in a reasonable amount of time.  But
> maybe this isn't actually needed.  Since staff marking an item missing,
> damaged, withdrawn, etc automatically resets holds targeted to that item,
> and retargets the hold.  So what situations are left that would cause an
> item to no longer be available for a hold?
>
> Canceling a hold transit also seems to reset the hold, so that should be
> covered.
>
> How about staff editing item properties, and changing the status that way?
>
> How about checking out an item to another patron instead of capturing the
> item for a hold?  If a customer grabs an item off the shelf that is also on
> the pull list?  Or if a branch lets customers take items out of the transit
> tub up until it leaves the library?  Is there anything that resets unfilled
> holds that target the same item during a checkout?
>
> --
> Josh Stompro - IT Director
> Lake Agassiz Regional Library
> Desk: 218-233-3757 Ext 139
> Cell: 218-790-2110
>
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